Process of neutralization



April 10, 1934.

L. CALDWELL PROCESS OF NEUTRALIZATION Filed Oct. 14, 1950 lllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIII [/v (/EN 7'02:

4%: 619L0NL47 "mm W .4T-roelvc Patented Apr. 10, 1934 1,954,116 rnocsss or NEUTRALIZATION Lyle Caldwell, Long Beach, Calif., asaignor, by mesne assignments, to California First National Bank of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif., a

a national banking association, as trustee Application October 14, 1930, Serial No. 488,573

Claims. (01. 196-41) This invention relates to a process for neutralizing oils and a method of application therefor, in which oils which have been subjected to an acid treatment may have acidity neutralized.

5 In my copending application, which has ma tured into Patent No. 1,921,116, Aug. 8, 1933, I have discloseda process of neutralization for said oils in which a mineral, such a brucite, is very efiective in the presence of moisture to form water of acid oils, and prefer that such neutralizing 16 minerals are added to the oils in excess of the theoreticalamount calculated for neutralization. Such minerals include raw impure materials,

such as calcined magnesite (MgO), dolomite (Ca.MgCOs), or calcite (CaCOa), which minerals 20, are high in MgO, Mg(OH)2, CaO or Ca(OH)z, and are particularly serviceable on account of their high neutralizing qualities, giving values of from 6.5 to 6.9 on the pH scale.

Such minerals may form either water soluble, 26 or water insoluble, acid reaction compounds or a combination of the two when used together, and my present process is directed to the substantially complete utilization of such minerals.

This is accomplished by grinding the raw ma- 30 terial, which may becalcined, or partly calcined, magnesite, dolomite, calcite, or other suitable minerals, or a mixture of any and all of them, to

a fine powder of from upwards of 50 mesh, preferably of about 200 mesh, which sizing will cause the material'to be suspended in the acid oil to be neutralized for a prolonged period and. give an extended contact surface.

A simple manner of effecting the neutralization of acid oils is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein an agitating tank 10 is supplied with acid stock in suitable quantity through a pipe11.

The acidity of the oil having been determined, a quantity of the ground neutralizing material is then introduced into tank 10, through hopper 12, and such quantity is preferably 25% in excess of the quantity necessary theoretically to combine with all the acid in the oil.

Should the neutralizing material, or the acid stock, not contain sufliclent water or moisture to provide for the necessary chemical reactions, the same may be introduced in the proper amount through pipe 13.

A pump 14 then picks up the mixture from tank 65 10 and forces the same through pipes 15 and 16,

and valve 17 to be rapidly circulated through tank 10, valve 18 being closed.

Such circulation insures a thorough contacting of the acid oil and neutralizing material and may be aided by a mechanical agitator 19, to the end that after a predetermined period of agitation a neutralization is effected by the formation of a quantity of either water soluble or water insoluble compounds.

After such period valve 17 may be closed and "valve 18 opened, whereupon the mixture of treated oil and reaction products is forced into a second tank 20, into which a bleaching clay or filter aid, or mixture thereof, may be introduced through hopper 21, whereupon a pump 22 rapidly circulates the mixture through a pipe 23 and valve 24 to tank 20, the valve 25 being closed.

After a predetermined period of agitation, which may be aided by a mechanical agitator 27, valve 24 is closed and valve 25 opened to permit the mixture to be forced through a filter 26, wherein the acid reaction compounds, bleaching clay, and the like, are separated from the neutralized and clarified oil which passes to storage through pipe 28 and water trap 29.

The use of tank 20 is desirable but unnecessary in the procws, the addition of bleaching clay or the like merely adding to the efliciency of the oil treatment as a whole, and tank 20 may at times be replaced by either a 'step of sedimentation or thickening, or both, prior to or excluding separation in filter or centrifuge 26.

Alternatively, decolorizing material may be used concurrently with the neutralizing material in tank 10, in which case tank 20 may be unnecessary.

A satisfactory cheap neutralizing material for use in tank 10 is dolomite, which gives pH values approaching 7.0 and which yields a mixture of magnesium and calcium sulphates which is removed in the filter 26, but I do not limit myself to the use of this materialbut include as well the use of any solidneutralizing agent which is chemically reactive with the acid constituents of an oil to form compounds of a separable nature in the presence of sufiicient water to supply at least the water of hydration in such compounds.

It is, of course, obvious that there may be sufflcient waterin the original acid stock used to supply the water necessary, in which case no further water need be put into tank 10, but a certain quantity is necessary to form such compounds as are easily separated in filter 26 from the oil which is then a clarified and neutral oil ofstableproperties ready for any further final treatment prior to use after the removal of any excess water caught in trap 29.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process of neutralization which comprises contacting sulphuric acid treated oil with powdered dolomite in the presence of water to form water insoluble reaction compounds, then sepa-' rating said compounds from the oil.

2. A proces of neutralization which comprises contacting sulphuric acid treated oil with powdered dolomite in the presenceof water to form water insoluble reaction compounds, then separating said compounds from the oil; said dolomite being present in an amount not less than 10% in excess of that theoretically required to neutralize the acid.

3. A process of neutralization which comprises: contacting sulphuric acid treated oil with calcined powdered dolomite in' the presence, of

water to form water insoluble reaction compounds, then separating the oil and said compounds.

4. A process of neutralization which comprises: contacting sulphuric acid treated oil with calcined powdered dolomite of not less than 200 mesh in the presence of water to form water insoluble reaction compounds, then separating the oil and said compounds.

5. A process of neutralization which comprises: contacting sulphuric acid treated oil with calcined powdered dolomite in the presence of water to form water insoluble reaction compounds, then separating the oil and said compounds; said dolomite being present in an amount in excess of that theoretically necessary to neutralize residual acid in the oil.

LYLE CALDWELL. 

